Egypt: Catch this

Joanna Symons reports on a new Egyptian travel pass.

Gap-year travellers to Egypt - and anyone else with limited funds - can now book a budget travel pass costing from £79 that allows up to three months' travel on various routes within the country.

The GoBus passes are valid for travel by air-conditioned bus, train or Nile felucca. You can use them on one of three routes, all of which include an airport pick-up in Cairo and an initial night's accommodation in the city. From then on, you can take as long as you like - up to three months - to complete the itinerary, but no back-tracking is allowed.

The basic £79 Reefer pass, which is designed for divers and snorkellers, covers travel by bus from Cairo to Nuweiba and Dahab on the Gulf of Aquaba and Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea, then back to Cairo, with the option of an extension to Alexandria.

The Tomb Raider pass (£99) takes in more cultural sites and covers travel by train from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan, with a bus link to Abu Simbel - as well as a felucca cruise from Aswan to Luxor with meals on board, a train ride to Hurghada on the Red Sea, a return train to Cairo and a round trip by bus from Cairo to Alexandria.

Top of the range at £129 is the Whopper pass, which includes both high culture and beach resorts, and covers train travel from Cairo to Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada, from Cairo to Nuweiba, Dahab and Sharm El Sheik, and then back to Cairo, with bus extensions to Alexandria and to Abu Simbel. It also allows for a two-night felucca cruise between Aswan and Luxor.

The GoBus passes are on sale now for travel from the end of October and are available from On the Go Tours in London (020 7471 6400, www.egyptgobus.com).